ATTEMPTED ROBBERY OF THE COMMERCIAL BANK, WAIPORI.

Bruce Herald, Volume III, Issue 65, 6 July 1865, Page 9

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY OF THE COMMERCIAL BANK, WAIPORI.

Yesterday morning shortly before three o'clok, the manager of the Commercial Bank, Waipbri, was roused from sleep by hearing the sound of some one moving stealthily about, in an adjoining apartment connected with the bank. After assuring . himself that be was not mistaken, lie got up out of bed, and made in the direction oi tha front of the building. Finding an aperture had been made in one of the windows capable of admitting the body oi full grown person* he made his way to the street and at once raised an alarm. Among the first persons that came to his assistance, wasMr Cairns, the manager of the 'Bauk of New South Wales, who occupied a tenement immediately adjoining. Mr '. aims kept guard in front of the Commercial Bank; and in the meantime Mr Lees the manager of the Commercial, proceeded with .all haste, to the police camp. On information of the occurence being given, Constable Dunn proceeded at once to the spot, and succeded. in arriving at the Commercial, before any attempt had been made by the burglar to effect a retreat. In fact, so "noiselessly had proceedings up to this lime been conducted, that those inside seemed not to have the slightest notion of an attempt being made to effect their. capture. Constable Dunn without a moment's hesitation, made his way into the premises by the aperture in the wiudew, and after' having satisfied himself of the exact whereabouts of the burglar, he cooly struck; a light, and revolver iv hand made a charge upon him. In the meantime, the thief made desperate efforts to make his escape by the chimney, but in this attempt he was foiled, by the dexterity of the -constable, and after a pretty smart struggle he was secu ed, and lodged safely in the Tock-.up. On being freed from the dust and soot in which he had become enveloped during" his attempt at escupe, he was at once recognised as a person who went by the name of ' Soldier Geordie,' and supposed to have been at one time in the army. He was yesterday transferred . to the custody, of the authorities at Waitahuna, froni wjjence-he will no doubt, be sent to town bj' the first escort. On examiuing the bank premises it was found that an entrance had been effected by means of removing a couple of panes of glass in one of the side windows and which left an aperture 10 x 24. l '■„] '„ The full motive of the prisoner does net by . any means appear very clear. Had it been a 'premeditated, case of bank; .robbery,;, ,it ; seems j more than probable, that more than one party I would have been implicated in; the affair, and yet neither, Mr Lees nor Mr Cairns who kept

watch daring the absence of the former in search of the police, saw anything to indicate the presence of an accomplice. On the other hand, the aperture through which the entrance was effected, stands 4ft. 4in. from the ground* and what is still more suspicious, both '; the' panes of glass had been removed as neatly as a glazier could have done it, so that there seems to be no doubt but that a robbery had been intended ■ The most plausible conclusion seems to be, that the robber had ;aff~ opinion that some loose' cash might be lying about, and that he had no intention ot making an attempt upon the safe. This opinion is borne out by the fact, that on search being made, no weapon more offensive than a knife,such as is generally used by glaziers was found. — ' Tuapeka Recorder.'